Ted Menzies

[Situation in Sudan, October 3rd, 2006]

Mr. Chair, I am pleased to have the opportunity to participate in this our second take note debate on the situation in Sudan.

I know that many of my colleagues in the House have serious concerns about the plight of the Sudanese, and the fact that we are having two debates in the space of six months is a clear demonstration of how concerned we all are. Throughout much of its independence Sudan has been involved in a civil war, and as we all know only too well, the Sudanese people are paying a huge price as a result of this.

This government understands that Canadians are deeply concerned by the human suffering in Sudan and we are committed to working closely with the United Nations and with the African Union to find a solution. In fact, we are currently working with the rest of the global community to help Sudan find a way to stabilize the country, because the deteriorating security and overwhelming obstacles to obtaining the most basic humanitarian assistance simply cannot go on.

In order to put an end to this human suffering, Canada has been involved in intense international efforts to persuade Sudan to accept a UN peace support operation in Darfur. At the same time, Canada and the international community continue to support the efforts of the African Union mission because we all know very well we need a force on the ground to protect civilians and to facilitate the work of humanitarian organizations.

Darfur is just one region in an entire country that is suffering. In the southern part of Sudan the limited infrastructure that existed before the fight began has been destroyed. Displaced people in war affected parts of Sudan are facing food shortages as well as constant worry because of the presence of land mines. These insidious weapons not only threaten their lives but also limit their ability to use the land productively. In Khartoum, the capital of Sudan, there is the largest concentration of displaced persons in the world, many of whom live in camps with no basic services.

For this reason, Canada's strategy in looking for solutions takes in the entire country. As my colleague the Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages mentioned earlier this evening, CIDA has committed more than $100 million to help with humanitarian assistance, peace rehabilitation, and construction.

In April 2005 at the Oslo Donors' Conference on Sudan, we made a commitment of $90 million over two years. In May of this year my colleague announced an additional $20 million for humanitarian assistance to Sudan and to the region.

We continue to work with our international partners providing support for bodies such as UNICEF, the World Food Program, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. These organizations deliver humanitarian assistance in what can only be described as the most challenging of circumstances. They do it wherever there is need throughout Sudan and we have seen some results. Some 105,000 people would be fed for one year; 500,000 displaced persons and refugees have received medical supplies; and 60,000 internally displaced persons have access to clean water and sanitary services. Is this enough? Absolutely not, but we need to continue our efforts in conjunction with the Sudanese government.

We have also seen results in reconstruction with important highways being de-mined, 20 counties having their schools rehabilitated, and 20,000 learning kits being delivered to elementary students and teachers, just to name a few.

The Government of Canada through CIDA has supported the comprehensive peace agreement to bring an end to the north-south civil war in 2005. The goal of this agreement is to stabilize the entire region and bring peace to Sudan, but we understand that an already serious security situation in Darfur continues to deteriorate and a settlement in eastern Sudan continues to elude our grasp.

There is no doubt that the people of Sudan still have significant challenges ahead of them, but these challenges reinforce our belief that the north-south peace agreement is the key to finding durable peace for Sudan, and by extension, for its neighbours.

We are very encouraged to see that there is a more stable government in southern Sudan now that is helping to bring an end to the decades old conflict in northern Uganda.

In conclusion, the challenge of rebuilding Sudan, including Darfur, is monumental, but there is no doubt that it can and must be done. When the crisis in Darfur subsides, refugees and displaced persons will be able to return to their homes and they will need help from the international community to reconstruct their fragile communities. In the rest of Sudan there will be substantial work ahead in areas such as promoting the reform of the justice system, helping rebuild the security system, reducing the traffic in arms, and reinforcing the institutes of government and community life. There is no doubt that the people of Sudan, ravaged by years of war, will need our help to achieve sustainable peace and to rebuild their country.

This government is committed to working with our Canadian and international partners to help the people of Sudan. We do so by supporting Canada's core values of freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

As the Prime Minister made quite clear when he spoke of Sudan at la Francophonie conference in Bucharest, Canada is ready to play its part.

[Petitions, October 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, also from the constituents of Macleod, the second petition requests that the House reopen the issue of marriage in order to repeal or amend the Marriage for Civil Purposes Act in order to promote and defend marriage as the lawful union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.

[Petitions, October 2nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I have two petitions that I would like to present today.

The first is on behalf of the constituents of Macleod. This petition states that the protection of our children from sexual predators must be a top priority for the federal government and requests that the government assembled in Parliament take all measures necessary to immediately raise the age of consent from 14 to 16 years of age.

[Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006, September 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I would like to clarify that. Most people understand that in international agreements the standard length of an agreement, the standard opportunity length of time for any agreement to be opted out of, if I may term it that way, is six months.

I think we did exceptionally well to get this length of agreement so that this industry has some strength and something on which to base its future monetary investments. It is a seven to nine year agreement. That is better than most industries have to base their forward decisions on and to base their investments on. I think this is an excellent negotiation on behalf of this new Conservative government.

[Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006, September 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the hon. member has brought up some very interesting words. Let me work a bit with the hon. member's words, if I may. The hon. member refers to the industry being bullied. I would prefer to refer to this government as bullish. We are bullish on softwood. We think it has a future. We know that it now has a future. Yes, this government is bullish. It is bullish on the Canadian economy and the softwood lumber industry is a fundamental piece of our economy.

The member talked about abandonment. That is what we heard from the industry in committee appearances. Businesses in the industry told the committee that the previous Liberal government had abandoned them. The Liberals allowed them to have to take this dispute to court. The former Liberal government was never there to provide the leadership to bring a settlement to this industry, so the industry had to litigate. One of the first things this new Conservative government did, even though we had not been in power very long, was to bring an end to this longstanding dispute that frankly was going nowhere under Liberal leadership.

[Softwood Lumber Products Export Charge Act, 2006, September 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it is a great pleasure to rise in the House today to talk about Bill C-24, which will implement Canada's obligations under the softwood lumber agreement. I ask all members of the House to recognize and support this bill.

Clearly, this softwood lumber agreement is good for industry, good for lumber communities and good for Canada. The previous member spoke about examples within his riding that speak volumes to how good a deal this is and how it will support local industry. It eliminates punitive U.S. duties. It ends costly litigation which has gone on for far too long.

I have listened to many members in the House during this debate talk about how close we were to an agreement, that with one more judge's ruling we would have it beat. My argument to that is that I have met lawyers whose entire careers have been based on negotiating softwood lumber.

Under this agreement the U.S. will immediately dismiss all trade actions against our companies. It takes our lumber producers out of the courts and puts them back where they belong, in communities across this country, growing their enterprises and contributing to Canada's economy.

It provides stability for an industry hit hard by years of trade action and drawn out litigation. For the next seven to nine years no border measures will be imposed when lumber prices are above $355 per thousand board feet.

When prices drop below this threshold, the agreement gives provinces the flexibility to choose the border measures most beneficial to their economic situation. I should add that all export charge revenues collected by the Government of Canada through these border measures will stay in Canada, in direct contrast to what these lumber companies have been facing up until now.

The agreement returns more than $4.4 billion U.S., a significant infusion of capital for the lumber industry and the workers and communities that rely on it. We have even developed a unique deposits mechanism to ensure that lumber companies receive their money as quickly as possible, within four to eight weeks of filling out and returning the necessary legal and administrative documents after the agreement enters into force.

This is an agreement to be proud of. It is a practical and flexible agreement that ends this long-standing dispute on terms that are highly favourable to Canada. Moreover, it directly responds to the specific issues and concerns raised by industry and the provinces. For instance, it recognizes provincial market based reforms and preserves provincial authority to manage their forest resources as they see fit.

It also excludes from border measures the Atlantic provinces and the territories and 32 companies, including Quebec border mills that were found by the U.S. Department of Commerce not to be subsidized. It ensures that independent lumber remanufacturers do not have to pay an export charge on the value added component of their products. It establishes a process for Canada and the U.S., in consultation with the provinces, to determine the steps regions can take to qualify for exemption from the border measures.

I am pleased to say that the agreement has the support of two national governments and all the key lumber producing provinces, as well as an overwhelming majority of industry players. The next step belongs to parliamentarians.

Bill C-24 will implement Canada's commitments under this agreement. In particular, it provides authority to impose export charges when lumber prices are below $355 per thousand board feet and it gives provinces the flexibility they need to choose the right border option for their economic situation.

The bill also seeks to amend parts of the Export and Import Permits Act to bring into operation the mechanisms we need to meet our commitments under the agreement.

I am happy to be part of a government that has done, in short order, what no other government could: put an end to this dispute and start directing our full attention to building a stronger, more competitive North America. I would ask all members of the House to join me in supporting this bill and putting this dispute behind us.

[Afghanistan, September 25th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the new Conservative government is deeply committed to rebuilding Afghanistan's economy.

Last Saturday the Minister of International Cooperation announced that CIDA would provide another $12 million to Afghanistan's national micro-credit program. This program is so successful that over $70 million in loans have been disbursed across 18 province, with the repaying rate of 98%.

[Afghanistan, September 22nd, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, Canada's approach to helping Afghanistan is to help the people help themselves.

Let me share some results that we have attained: 183,000 Afghans now have access to micro-credits, 75% of those are women; 10,000 widows and their families have received food aid; 13,000 communities are involved in the development of 250 schools, 180 community centres, 18,000 wells--

[Fort Macleod, September 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, it is my pleasure to rise today in the House to recognize a great achievement for the town of Fort Macleod in my riding.

Fort Macleod was selected out of 29 other towns and cities in Alberta to become the home of the new Alberta Police and Peace Officer Training Centre. This centre will be a unique facility in Canada, providing centralized training for new municipal police recruits and peace officers, as well as professional development for all of Alberta's police and peace officers.

Fort Macleod has a long and proud history of policing, going back to its early days when the North West Mounted Police set up barracks there in 1874. This new training centre will revitalize the community of Fort Macleod and provide Alberta's police and peace officers with the training they need to serve and protect our communities.

I would like to congratulate Mayor Patience and the citizens of Fort Macleod on this achievement. I look forward to welcoming new police and peace officers to training in Fort Macleod.

[International Development, June 16th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the announcement made yesterday that many in the House did not hear was in response to the fact that NGOs and partners within Canada had been cut out of the process of delivering aid to countries which needed our help.

The Minister of International Cooperation yesterday announced a new program that launched a voluntary sector fund of $20 million per year that will go through these NGOs in Canada to help those in other countries.